Top renewable power users list brings some shockers

Today, the EPA is honoring the top 50 users of renewable energy — and, boy, are there some surprises on the list!

You might have expected that Intel would top the list, but who predicted that Kohl’s Department Store would have come in second, using 100 percent renewable energy?

Whole Foods takes the third spot, followed by Starbucks, the state of Pennsylvania, the city of Houston — oil central gets more than a third of its power from wind! — and recent bad-boy pharmaceutical Johnson & Johnson.

Other interesting nuggets: Wal-Mart places 12th, with a relatively meager 8 percent of its total power coming from renewable sources. Among those who buy only renewable energy (albeit in smaller amounts) are: The EPA, Deutsche Bank, the conservative World Bank, Dannon yogurt company, REI, and a slate of Pennsylvania private universities from prestigious (U. Penn) to not-so-much (Drexel).

As for K-12 schools, Chicago, Austin, and Austin neighbors Round Rock and Lake Travis school districts top the list.